On Thursday (Sept. 21), Jermaine Dupri appeared on the latest episode of “The Estelle Show,” where he delved into his life and contributions to the music industry. At one point, the topic of the rapper-producer’s hit single with JAY-Z, “Money Ain’t A Thang,” came up, which led to a sizable revelation from the So So Def CEO.
“Talib Kweli talks about the first time that he ever came to Atlanta. He went to Magic City with me and Janet [Jackson]. They’re throwing the money in the air,” he said while referring to the now-iconic phrase of “making it rain.” “I actually was the person who created this because I did this first in the ‘Money Ain’t A Thing’ video. Me and JAY-Z are in the car throwing money throughout the whole video. That became my thing with that song. That became my thing going into these strip clubs.”
He continued by explaining how the concept wasn’t immediately understood by others. “I remember going to the club throwing the money. The first time I ever threw the money in the air, I probably threw $1,000 on the floor. And the girl at the strip club said, ‘You want me to get down on the floor and get my money?’ She didn’t understand what was happening,” he stated. “I tried this a couple of places where I was out throwing money and… they didn’t understand what was happening. And this is just my confirmation of me saying, ‘I know that I was the first person doing this.’”
“Money Ain’t A Thang” was the standout single from Dupri’s debut studio LP, Life In 1472, which contained a wealth of appearances from Nas, DMX, Slick Rick, Mariah Carey, Da Brat, Ma$e, Lil Kim, Snoop Dogg, and more. The album both peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned the hip hop veteran a platinum certification.